What Surgery topics should we do?

[Aled]

Coming up over the next few weeks we have a special on Bullying, Children In Need and AIDS. Are there any topics you'd like us to do?

[element231]

I would like to hear what thing are going on and how we could get involved like any nation events or local for children in need.

Bullying : is how to help prevent it happening and help a victim.

Aids : im not sure its a difficult topic to talk about . but I would recommend thing such as how to prevent it . E.C.T


When I have more ideas I will post up
Thank you :D

[Yudster]

Something financially based - a lot of people are sufferring now from the idea which has proliferated in the last twenty years that you can and should live your life on credit. As a society we have become totally dependant on credit, and the supposed ideal of owning property. Maybe this is the time to challenge these ideas a bit and look at how we can adjust our lifestyles to a more "if you can't afford it, you can't have it until you have saved up enough" attitude. The Surgery could look at this and offer advice to people who have got themselves into trouble financially.

[Andrew80]

Hey Aled, had a think about this so here are my thoughts!


Something financially based for sure - how to plan for the future? How to make the most of what you've got?
Managing change in your life? - How do I deal with new housemates? How do I deal with new job?
Bullying is always an important one -
How to handle loneliness’ in yourself and others? How do you recognise someone who feels lonely even though they may never be alone?
Its Christmas - so something about people you miss? Re-uniting people (not cilla black surprise surprise style) but how to make the first step etc



I think that’s it for now? Any use?

[Mitchell]

I think loneliness is a good one, because it comes in some many variations.

For instance, I find myself alienated sometimes by student culture. A lot of the people I know are very much into drinking, partying all the time, having lots of sex and using studenty terms like "bangin'" and "bangerang" and proclaiming that everyone from the Kaiser Chiefs to Lionel Blair are "leg-ends", and it gets me down sometimes because that isn't me at all. Without sounding big-headed, I think I'm a little more sophisticated than that. Not that they're below me for living that life, but it's something they like doing and I just am not that kind of person, which can sometimes leave me as the odd one out or force me to try and fit in more, which is unfair on all involved - them for befriending a faker, and me for feeling like I have to be someone different.

Not that I really do change my persona to suit, but the alternative I use is to just isolate myself. People confuse it for being rude or shy, but it's just a way of dealing and I find myself craving people of similar interests to talk intellectually with, and not feel like i have to drink or talk about partying to fit in with the crowds.

Which may spur on the "but you don't seem to treat anyone else's opinion with much respect anyway" brigade, but they don't realise that I actually do, and they;'re the people I want to talk with more because they're actually willing to debate and become passionate about something, to counter-balance my passion for or against the topic. I want more of that in real life.

So yeah, seconding loneliness.

[postie]

stalkers how to get rid

[jet]

You still having bother with that guy?

[postie]

yes sadly

[jet]

You poor sod. Can't you give his number to the police and they could find out where he lives?

[postie]

i was hoping the constant ignoring would work but he is not taking the hint

[Q]

You can PM me his details if you want Postie, i'll take care of him ;)

A topic for discussion is bereavement and how to cope after you have lost a loved one.

[Andrew80]

is the stalker me? can i have one?

[postie]

might take ya up on that Q :)

[Yudster]

stalkers how to get rid
I'm not sure how they could pad a whole show around the basic advice of "if someone is behaving in a way which makes you feel threatened or uncomfortable, go to the police".

[postie]

suppose they could tie it in with abusive relationships

[Chongster]

The bullying one is certainly a great one. I was terribly bullied in school, being English in an all Welsh school with the surname Chong isn't the best combo, and I didn't really talk about it to anyone. So that show will be great for the people brave enough to talk about it.

[Yudster]

suppose they could tie it in with abusive relationships
That could work very well - its a huge topic and more and more people are being affected all the time.

[postie]

anyway why not have something fun to chat about does it always have to be doom and gloom

[Adam]

Aled, bit of a direct question here - but were you ever bullied?

[Yudster]

anyway why not have something fun to chat about does it always have to be doom and gloom
I like the thought - but what? The Surgery is an advice show - realistically, people are mostly going to be seeking advice about stuff that's problematical. It would be great to find something "feel good" to talk about. Maybe that's it - talk about what puts the "feel good factor" into your life?

[postie]

i like it Yud :D

[Hannahbee]

Something like how to get the feel good factor back into your life. And how to cheer yourself up.

[Samual]

something other than sexual health and drugs, yes they're important topics but they crop up every week!

ideas off the top of my head:


internet addiction
family estrangement
cyber bullying
higher education choices

[postie]

cyber bullying thats a good topic

[Yudster]

Internet addiction is becoming a huge problem, and I think a lot of people don't realise the seriousness of it. Good call.

[bbb]

a few things i agree with the loneliness one

.how the mainstream media sees all teenagers and people in there early twentys as kinfe weilding hoddy wearing thugs and how they never chose to do a postive story on that subject given a recnet poll in witch the older genration all fear the younger ones and views themall as the above
when relly its only a few who are like that


A 3rd thing to do on the show would be homophoba(how most of it is based on two mainstearm faiths) also given rescnet hate speech from a certain party in charge of northren ireland cough the dup http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9448.html

the pope http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10053.html

and The Iranian President http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10072.html

and yet more haters from my own contry Free Presbyterian church (this time its the one on the Sandown road with imay add is five mins from my house http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10064.html

it appears that all but one church over here are so filled with hate and are so backwards with there views that it makes me almost ashammed to be from here

a 4th thing to do on the show would be stress and mental health
and a 5th thing while one the subject of mnetal health you could talk abot poeple with problmes like me and ocd andhow the cope/deal with it and how other poeple can help

sorry its so long and all i just started ranting rather wound up

[Adam]

Internet addiction? At what level do you class yourself an addict of the internet? I check Facebook regularly, probably more than enough. Does that make me a addict?

Surely, its not life threating or on a par with taking heroin.

[postie]

attention seekers is a good one too

[Yudster]

Internet addiction? At what level do you class yourself an addict of the internet? I check Facebook regularly, probably more than enough. Does that make me a addict?

No, it doesn't. And it can be very serious. A growing number of people - not just teenagers - is spending more than 12 hours a day on the internet, mostly playing games - often ones which, given the amount of time spent playing them and the resulting lack of anything reality based in their lives can cause severe problems with depression, reality perception, social interaction, physical nutrition (anorexia in boys is often associated with high levels of internet gaming) the list goes on.

Of course its not a massively widespread problem yet, and the vast majority of internet users and gamers are not doing themselves or anyone else any harm. But it has been identified as a rapidly growing problem. It would be nice if it didn't grow any more.
Surely, its not life threating or on a par with taking heroin.
The defining characteristics of an addictive behaviour surely must be that the sufferer is unable to stop the behaviour, and that it is causing themselves and often others harm. Levels of clinical depression and suicide are high amongst the so-far small group of people I am talking about. I would prefer if that group didn't get any bigger.

[Andrew80]

(anorexia in boys is often associated with high levels of internet gaming)

!!!!!!

[Yudster]

Yes, I found that bit slightly weird - I can only imagine the poor loves sit there playing all day and forget to eat! I would have liked a bit more explanation on that myself!

[bbb]

lol I play alot of internet games such as wrold of warcaft it highly addicting tho since my account has been hacked and banned now i cant get on it till its all been sorted out i pay about £40 every six months ive yet to hear off anyone forgetting to eat lol

[Yudster]

Well, I would guess its a pretty extreme set of cases! My son plays WoW, far too much - he is ok now, but about a year or so ago I was seriously worried about him. Thankfully he's managed to pull it together a bit, and although he still plays a lot, he does have other things in his life too now! He was never as bad as the cases I've been hearing about, but I would imagine if things had been different he might have got that way relatively easily.

[postie]

i dont get that WoW thing

[Andrew80]

i dont get that WoW thing

I like the song the internet is for porn by wow lol

[Aimee]

Im looking forwards to this weeks surgery, as you all must know by now i love the open ones :)

[element231]

now listening :D , Hope it will be great as usuall !

[KingTutsWWH]

Excellent, very informative surgery this evening. I really like Doctor Mel. She has such a super calm, pleasant manner when dealing with callers.

Incidentally, I'm very sorry if I upset you on a different forum this week lovely. That was the last thing I intended to do.

You are doing a wonderful job.

[Ali]

I only caught the last half hour of the show last night. I do like a good open Surgery :D Great show

[Mitchell]

I can see the point about the internet taking over at times. Not that I think I'm obsessed, but my day generally consists of work followed by going on the PC, and currently my depression levels are rising - for some reason, I've become scarily morbid and frightening myself about death and finality, and part of it is from feeling so detatched from reality. I'm sat here now, and I'm not even able to consider reality in my usual manner. I feel almost like I'm just a lone entity until I'm around other people - then I become a little better and slowly it starts to fade and I can function again.

But whenever I'm on my own, I like to torment myself through obsession and just constantly thinking about things that I shouldn't, and I come online as routine to escape. A little unhealthy, really.

Might explain my slight narkiness lately.

[vincejebsen]

Yeah, financial related issues would be interesting.

[Samual]

I think a surgery on financial issues or anything to do with this recession would be very boring. Its all we hear about these days anyway!

[postie]

might be boring but it may prove informative for people unaware on things to help them in this recession

[Andrew80]

I enjoyed the money talk! and got an email answered!

[bbb]

i enjoyed it as well i was in the chatroom as well but i loged off still had the show on i lreant a few new things and it has made me realise how inportant it is to budject your spending were as before i was just spend spend spend

[Samual]

I'm going to post things im specifically interested in because thats the way i am.

Language and identity – Should foreign languages be compulsory in schools? Why is the UK so determinedly monolingual? Is English's dominance as the only global language a good thing? Do you have to speak English to be British?

Also, i think a surgery on UCAS and Uni wouldn't go a miss!

[Yudster]

I like the language debate idea, that could cover a range of topics and social issues which seem very relevant at the moment.